


It Only Takes A Taste

by lostin_space



Series: It Only Takes A Taste [1]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, Friends With Benefits, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-12-28 00:31:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21127832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostin_space/pseuds/lostin_space
Summary: “You’re gonna fall in love with me.”“No offense, Guerin, but you couldn’t be further from my type.”





	It Only Takes A Taste

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this at work for a trope prompt list #36: friends with benefits and both people catch feelings
> 
> Might elongate one day who knows

“You’re gonna fall in love with me.”

“No offense, Guerin, but you couldn’t be further from my type.”

Michael chuckled low as he kissed on his brother’s girlfriend’s best friend’s neck. Max had hooked Michael up with a job at the Crashdown via Liz once he realized he needed to start working during college and not just the summers between. On his first day, Alex Manes had strolled in like he owned the place and Michael had decided right then that he was going to befriend the guy. Befriending led to making out in the front seat of his truck which led to deciding they didn’t have time for a relationship with college in the way and that they’d be best as friends with benefits. Michael was absolutely okay with it if that meant making out with a guy that looked like Alex regularly.

“What, ruggedly handsome and good in bed isn’t your type?” Michael asked, trying to ignore how nice Alex sounded when he moaned to the feeling of teeth against his skin.

“My type excludes self-aggrandizing wanna be cowboys who smell like wet dogs,” Alex breathed, nudging Michael away with his nose and slyly capturing his lips instead. Not only was it a pleasure to kiss someone who looked like Alex, but it was a blessing to kiss someone who kissed like Alex. It felt like he was a fucking pro sometimes which had Michael’s mind reeling more times than he’d willingly admit.

“I’m not a wannabe, I actually work on ranches,” Michael said.

Alex hummed into his mouth, a hand sliding down his shoulder and stopping to squeeze his bicep.

“Tell that to the antennae.”

-

“That sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.”

“No, it’s perfect.”

Michael tried to ignore Isobel’s judgey look as he slid her her milkshake. He didn’t mean to tell anyone that he was screwing Liz’s friend, but Isobel had stolen his phone when he went to check it during his shift and “accidentally” caught a glimpse of Alex’s toned chest in the form of a request to see him after work. He couldn’t exactly not tell her after that.

“How is it perfect? You’re sleeping with a guy with none of the benefits of a relationship.”

“No, I’m sleeping with a guy with none of the difficult parts of a relationship. No jealousy, no commitment, no dropping money on dinner dates and movies, no feelings. Just sex with someone I know isn’t gonna give me an STD,” Michael tried to explain.

He and Alex had been hooking up for almost a month now, but the last week he hadn’t had the time to go see him. Then he’d been greeted with something different that morning when he’d woken up to a picture Alex had sent at 3 in the fucking morning that was him in nothing but a very loose towel and the caption ‘u up?’ and he had never regretted not being awake at 3 in the morning so badly. Now, all day, he’d been receiving little close-up pictures of Alex’s body and it was making his shift crawl by slower than ever.

“What happens when one of you catches feelings? I find it actually impossible neither of you won’t at least get slightly attached,” Isobel said, shaking her head.

“Yeah, well, that’s because you’re a girl and girls get attached.”

“Yikes, when did you become sexist?”

Michael ran his tongue over his lips as he thought about those pictures Alex had sent and how he really, really hated going this many days in a row without touching him. Hell, he actually missed him.

But you could miss friends.

“I’m not, sorry. I’m just saying it’s not gonna happen to us.”

-

“Wait, stop.”

Alex held his hand up to keep Michael at least some distance away from him as he tried to enter the apartment he lived in with Liz and Maria while the other hand went over his own mouth. The two women had vacated the place once Alex had come down with the stomach flu.

“Stop? I haven’t seen you in two days and I just took a test from hell and I was really hoping I’d get some Alex tonight,” Michael said, grinning that annoyingly charming grin. Alex hated turning him away.

“You should’ve texted first,” he said, “I’m sick.”

Michael instantly frowned and stepped further into the apartment faster than Alex could back away. He pressed his hand to Alex’s forehead, frowning even deeper as he probably felt his fever and chills and sweat all at once. Alex wanted to shove him away, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so. Michael shrugged off his jacket and draped it on the counter.

“Go lay down, I’ll make you some soup.”

“Excuse me?” Alex said, genuinely bewildered. He got used to taking care of himself when he was sick from a young age. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had offered to make him soup.

“You heard me,” Michael said, gently shoving him towards the couch.

Michael stayed all night and was annoying doting. He cuddled him and fed him and rubbed his back when he threw up. Alex didn’t think it could be more embarrassing, but Michael took it in stride. He was sickeningly sweet.

Alex didn’t want to think about how badly he never wanted him to leave.

-

“I asked him out,” Maria said, face grim as if she was the bearer of bad news. She was. “He said no, that he was seeing someone.”

Alex slumped in his chair as it became all too real that Michael had been the one to shatter the agreement. They weren’t supposed to fall for each other. That was the fucking deal.

So why the hell had Michael done something so stupid?

“I need to cut him off,” Alex decided.

“Why don’t you give it a shot, Alex? I mean, he must really like you if you could get puke on his shirt and he didn’t even care.” Alex groaned loudly in response.

He hated that Michael was so fucking caring. It made it much harder to push him away, but he didn’t have a choice. They made a deal. They didn’t have time. They weren’t allowed to like each other.

He had to be the one to end it.

-

“Just tell me what I did wrong! Was I, like, really shitty when I tried to top you last time?!”

Alex whirled around and stared at Michael like he’d lost his fucking mind. Which he had if he was willing to scream that in the middle of the music building. Tons of heads turned their way and Alex quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him into a practice room.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“I just want to know what I did because I don’t know, Alex, I don’t,” he said. His eyes were big and emotive and he was so damn sincere. Alex breathed slowly.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” he said sharply, “It was your fucking rule and everything. Now you’re just… You can’t act like this.”

“Like what?” Michael asked, “Your boyfriend?”

“Yes!” Alex snapped, “We said we weren’t. We said it was nothing. You can’t just up and change. You just and… And I… And we… connected.” Alex almost cringed at his own voice. He didn’t want to admit that.

“Yeah. We did. And I don’t know why you’re running away from it,” Michael said.

“I don’t have time for a boyfriend,” Alex argued, but it felt stupid now that he had already admitted that he felt it too. But he didn’t want to.

“Me neither,” Michael said, “But we can take it slow. Really slow.”

Alex breathed in and stared at the boy in front of him. That’s what he was in this moment, a boy. Fresh-faced and desperate.

“I’m going to be a shitty boyfriend,” Alex told him. Michael smiled.

And how could he stay strong when he smiled?

“Me too, but I have a feeling we’ll figure it out.”

**Author's Note:**

> Also on my tumblr: spaceskam


End file.
